MCM Archive release #1 - with proceeds donated to Save The Children. Here you have the rarest of the Mark C. Morris Archive in a pair of cassette recordings:
1. Songs recorded to a badly placed cassette recorder at a live performance at Gabe's Oasis in Iowa City with help from pals Greg Peterson, Mike Hoff, Jonathan Hansen, and Edward A. Gray.
2. Mark's cassette message - circa 1992 - to The Bill Basset Band.
About the first three tracks:
"Another one from the cassette vaults - Live From Gabe's Oasis on October 12th, 1997. The group was supposed to be Mike, Mark M, myself, Theresa, and Ben. But as I recall, the weather was especially prohibitive that weekend, and so Ed and Jon jumped in at the last minute to sub for Ben and Theresa, who couldn't make it. Also, John Denver died that same day. Two weeks later I would visit NYC for the first time."
- Greg Peterson
"Playing at Gabes was super cool because it was really a hotspot for music during the 1980s after I graduated high school. It felt like a real honor.
The night we played there was a horrendous night regarding weather. I was not only nervous about performing, but I was also afraid of what my trip back to Ottumwa was going to be like. I didn't want to get stuck in Iowa City for days, so I took off right after the show. The weather was horrible, but when I got to about Hedrick it was a true ice storm. I remember there being maybe six people at the show, but by the sound of the applause, there must have been more. Maybe 8. Maybe 10! Being there was worth my extra anxiety about driving back to Ottumwa that night."
- Mark
"We attempted this without amplification, in front of the stage amongst the seating and dance floor. Unfortunately, the cassette recorder is behind a support pole and far from the sound. My guitar is already cracked apart by this show as well, so it's not too audible in the first place. We did it up for the cabaret challenge - playing a review of sulkfly, grgptrsn, Mark Morris, Henry C. Cobb, Opal Mae, Carter Family, and Woody Guthrie songs.
Ed and Jon swooped in at the last minute to save the day with improvised percussion and chord organ. You can hear Ed scraping a snow shovel across the floor during "They Blow." Ed played a set on the bill too. This showcase was Blueberry's deal, so elusive Mighty Feeble recording artist Libby Sue was there. I remember being happy that Sara D from Little Debbie was there, as the height of the Squirrel scene had already dawned."
- Creeping Charlie
About the final two tracks (comprising the cassette message to The Bill Basset Band):
"The cassette message to The Bill Basset Band was recorded while on break at Fiesta Cantina Mexican Restaurant in the dead of winter and delivered via Mark's co-worker, Beckham Miller, to me in the Ottumwa High School art class. It was recorded on a very, very cheap tape. It's a small miracle that it survived the last three decades unscathed.
This tape came with a pile of Mark's poems that he intended to be included in forthcoming Bill Basset Band recordings. He didn't know: we weren't really a band. However, that fearless introduction was a door into Mark's world and resulted in all kinds of audio collaborations with a revolving cast of characters from Ottumwa's subunderground scene for years to follow. The included trio of songs from one night at Gabe's is a good, albeit horribly recorded, example."
- Mike
credits
released February 4, 2022
Photo: Mark with his pal Brian Ferguson at Target store, Ottumwa, IA circa 1970s. Photo by: Scott Ruckman
"Our original concept was that we'd always be photographed in dark glasses and hats. That didnt last long because we kept forgetting." - Mark
Personnel:
Mark C. Morris songwriting, singing, chanting
with Missing Songs: Greg Peterson, Edward A. Gray, Jonathan Hansen, Michael Hoff, and Banjo Joe on banjo, guitar, chord organ, shovel, painting canvas, singing through PVC pipe, bugle, antique bells, chopsticks, etc.
Mark's field recording done on unknown device; possibly was a co-worker's walkman-type cassette player/recorder.
Missing Songs recording by Mike to Panasonic RQ-J6.
Digital transfer: Greg Peterson in Long Island City.
Digital transfer & mastering: Mike Hoff in Evanston, Jan. 2022.
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